Improvement in locks for fire-arms



A. P. STEPHENS.

` Gun Lock.

` `Patented A pr. 2l, 1868.

IINiTEn STATES PATENT @Erica ANSON r. STEPHENS, OE BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

' IMPROVEMENT IN LOCKS FOR FIRE-ARMS.

To all whom t may concern-.-

Be it known that I, ANSON I. STEPHENS, of Brooklyn, in the countyof Kings and State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use a certain new and useful Improvement in Locks for Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, jclear, and exact description of my said invention, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, wherein- Figure l is an elevation of the lock with the hammer down, as usual. Fig. 2 is an elevation with the hammer cocked, and Fig. 3 is a view ofthe front of the lock.

Similar marks of reference denote the same parts.

The nature of my invention consists in a peculiar elliptical spring applied to the lock that acts upon the hammer to propel the same, and also operates the trigger, so that the lock occupies much less space than heretofore, and I make use of a trigger having the notches for the hammer at the half and full cock, in comi bination with arms and a cross-detent on the hammer, whereby the parts can be made much stronger than in the ordinary lock and are not so much subject to wear, and the trigger has greater leverage in firing the piece, but less leverage when at the half-cock; hence the pull is easier at firing, while the half-cock is much safer. Y

In the drawings, a is the lock-plate of any usual size or shape, according to the character of gun or pistol to Whichit is to be applied.

b is the hammer, moving on the fulcrum c, and d represents the ordinary cap-nipple.

e e are arms projecting from the tumbler of the hammer b, between which the end of the spring f is secured by the pin or screw t'. This spring f is of a semioircular or elliptical shape, and formed with an eye near the other end of the spring portion, taking the pin or screw o, and the spring terminates at this end as an arm, g, stretching across the tumbler of the hammer and taking the toe of the trigger h, that is hung by and moves on the center pin or screw, Z.

m and n are the half and full cock notches in the trigger h, and r is a cross pin or detent between the arms e e, which takes these half and full cock notches as the hammer is raised.

It will be seen that the compression ofthe spring f is due to the motion of the pin i as the hammer is raised, approaching the pin or screw o and the arm g, and for this reason the arm g will act more strongly on the trigger when the hammer is at the full-cock than when it is at the half-cock, but the halfcock notch being sol close to the fulcrum Z of the trigger' but little power is required to be exerted in tiring the piece, while the half-cock notch m being so much nearer the moving end of the trigger allows the pull to have but little leverage, and at the same time the construction of the parts is such that the half-cock notch can be much deeper and more secure than here tofore.

\ What I claim, and desire to secure by Let l. The elliptical spring f, attached at t' to the hammer and at o to the lock-plate, and extending as an arm, g, to the trigger, as and for the purposes speciiied.

2. The trigger h, formed with the half and full cook notches m and u, in combination with the arms e e, extending from the tumbler and carrying the detent r, for the purposes and as specified.

Dated this 5th day of March, 1863.

ANSON I). STEPHENS.

Vitrlesses:

' LEMUEL W. SEERELL,

CHAS. H. SMITH. 

